Michael and Olivia wanted to give their Uptown Expresso Play Kitchen to Elliott, but a few minor repairs were called for before the hand-off happened. The refrigerator door was missing, and the oven door had a big crack in it!
Fortunately and surprisingly, the manufacturer, KidKraft, had some repair parts available … but not quite all the ones we needed. The photos below illustrate the steps to make this neat play kitchen ready for Elliott to enjoy.
Michael and Oliva’s Uptown Expresso Play Kitchen was in great shape, except for the missing refrigerator door and the cracked oven door.
With serial number in hand, we contacted the manufacturer, KidKraft, and found out that they had lots of spare parts available.
Cutting out the new refrigerator door blank from 1/2″ plywood.
Since a replacement oven door was coming, I salvaged the hardware from the broken door to use on the new refrigerator door.
The drilled out rivets would be replaced by small machine screws and Nyloc nuts.
The replacement oven door (left) came with hardware but no handle.
Fortunately, it was an easy swap to put the old oven door handle on the replacement door.
The new refrigerator door and a new door handle were fabricated, drilled and ready for finishing.
Fabricating a replacement handle from pine, in the style of the other handles in the set, was pretty easy.
Salvaged hardware ready for re-installation.
A latex undercoat made the new door and handle ready to accept their final finish.
Painter’s points support the new refrigerator door as it is being painted.
Metallic silver spray paint was the closes approximation of the existing finish on the other play kitchen doors.
Finished handle ready to install.
Two new doors, complete and ready to assemble on the play kitchen.
The repaired Uptown Expresso Play Kitchen, ready to be returned to service with Elliott!